How to Use the Imperative Mood in Romanian: Commands and Requests Explained

Understanding the Imperative Mood in Romanian

The imperative mood in Romanian is used to give commands, make requests, or offer invitations. It is a direct way to tell someone what to do. Unlike English, Romanian imperative forms change depending on the person you are addressing and whether the command is affirmative or negative.

Who is the Imperative Used With?

In Romanian, the imperative is primarily used with the second person singular (tu), second person plural (voi), and the first person plural (noi) to express commands or requests. It can also be used with the polite form (dumneavoastră) which uses the third person plural form.

Forming the Affirmative Imperative

To form the affirmative imperative in Romanian, you generally use the present subjunctive forms of the verb for tu and voi, and the indicative present for noi. Here are the basic rules:

• For tu (you singular informal), use the present subjunctive without the personal pronoun.
• For voi (you plural), use the present indicative form without the personal pronoun.
• For noi (we), use the present subjunctive form with the pronoun hai să before the verb to express "let's" commands.

Let's look at examples with the verb a vorbi (to speak):

• Tu vorbește! (Speak!)
• Voi vorbiți! (You all speak!)
• Hai să vorbim! (Let's speak!)

Forming the Negative Imperative

The negative imperative in Romanian is formed differently from the affirmative. For tu, voi, and noi, you use the present subjunctive preceded by nu (not). The personal pronouns are usually omitted.

• Tu nu vorbești! (Don't speak!)
• Voi nu vorbiți! (Don't you all speak!)
• Să nu vorbim! (Let's not speak!)

Note that for the first person plural negative imperative, the construction uses să nu plus the present subjunctive.

Imperative Forms for Common Romanian Verbs

Here are imperative forms for some common verbs in Romanian to help you get started:

• a mânca (to eat): Tu mănâncă! / Nu mânca!
• a merge (to go): Tu mergi! / Nu merge!
• a face (to do/make): Tu fă! / Nu face!
• a veni (to come): Tu vino! / Nu veni!
• a lua (to take): Tu ia! / Nu lua!

Polite Commands Using Dumneavoastră

When addressing someone politely or formally, Romanian uses the third person plural form of the verb, which is the same as the ei/ele form in the present subjunctive, preceded by vă rog (please) or simply used as a command.

• Vorbiți! (Speak!)
• Nu vorbiți! (Don't speak!)
• Vă rog, vorbiți mai încet. (Please speak more slowly.)

Common Expressions Using the Imperative Mood

Here are some useful imperative expressions in Romanian that you might hear or use:

Tips for Using the Imperative Mood in Romanian

• Remember that the imperative is direct and can sound rude if not softened with polite words like vă rog (please).
• Use the negative imperative with nu plus the present subjunctive to tell someone not to do something.
• Practice the different forms for tu, voi, noi, and dumneavoastră to become comfortable with commands in various contexts.